BEIJING, March 4 -- Chinese and German foreign ministers discussed the Ukrainian situation Tuesday and called for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi elaborated China's position on the crisis in a phone conversation with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Both sides agreed that all parties should avoid escalating tensions in the country and try to solve the issue peacefully through political means.

The crisis, which originated from protests against President Viktor Yanukovych's decision last November to put on hold an agreement with the EU to get Russian aid, took an abrupt turn in the past two weeks, following bloody clashes between protesters and police. Yanukovych was ousted by the parliament and fled to Russia.

The mostly Russian-speaking Crimea is now the epicenter of the ongoing crisis. Some 50 armed men carrying Russian navy flags took control of two airports in the Crimean capital of Simferopol on Friday, one day after gunmen seized the local parliament and government buildings.